EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Team JCA's entry in the competition to build the new U.S. Joint Cargo Aircraft has completed the Early User Survey (EUS) demonstration phase.
Raytheon said the C-295 it and EADS CASA North America have entered in the contest was put through its paces recently for representatives of the JCA program.
"Team JCA is confident that the EUS demonstrated the C-295's unrivaled performance for meeting the crucial mission of medium transport for the U.S. warfighter," said Jim Hvizd, vice president of Team JCA in El Segundo.
The EUS consisted of tests of flight performance, handling, its airdrop capabilities and defense suite. It also demonstrated the plane's abilities on short and austere airfields.
The twin-engine C-295 is one of the aircraft under consideration to become the new primary medium-capacity cargo plane for both the U.S. Army and Air Force. Its niche would be the transport of cargo and personnel for humanitarian and special-forces operations that don't require a larger plane or involve short, primitive landing strips in remote areas.
The Pentagon expects to pick its JCA model next year. Team JCA is competing for the $6 billion program with the C-27J built by a Boeing-led team. Lockheed Martin has proposed a shortened version of its C-130J for the program.
The C-295 is currently in use by overseas militaries and is seeing service in Iraq and Afghanistan. It boasts larger floor space than its competitors and can carry five cargo pallets and up to 61 passengers.
